Forbes: "Why Doctors Should Not Ask Their Patients About Guns"

This is a discussion on Forbes: "Why Doctors Should Not Ask Their Patients About Guns" within the General Firearm Discussion forums, part of the Related Topics category; LOL. I have been to the local outdoor range many times with one of my doctors, a retired Army Col., and I seriously doubt that ...

LOL. I have been to the local outdoor range many times with one of my doctors, a retired Army Col., and I seriously doubt that he would ever question a patient about gun ownership. I must say he does have several very nice Colt "military style" rifles.

Forbes: "Why Doctors Should Not Ask Their Patients About Guns"

I think it is a severe overstepping of the physicians. Now that they are all being made to computerize the info can be in your hospital records as well as insurance companies and Gvt. Totally egregious question. If they asked just ask them if they own one and get on with the healthcare issues. What is going on in this country. Learning how to swim and not texting while driving is more of a health issue.

As this shapes up with the Electronic Health Record and required fields for gov't data mining, this will result in "on the record" answers and "off the record" answers. A vast majority of the doctors I work with I have been to the range with or helped them choose firearms for themselves. When the time comes for official answers in the govt database, the answer is "No."

Doctor " Sir do you own a firearm? Response " Are you one of those docs with a big life insurance on your wife? Sorry you got the wrong guy I aint interested in doing no hit on your wife no matter how much you offer me. Should I be worried? Maybe I should contact the police. Your really freaking me out here Doc!!!

They can ask and I can answer anyway I choose, which will either be "no" or "since my answer is not remotely relevant to why I am seeing you today, it's none of your damn business.", depending on my mood of course.

Seriously, though, I have a great primary care physician and it's unlikely she will ask anyway.

my doc knows I carry and ususally asks me what gun I am hiding from him today. He carries a Glock 26 in small of the back holster under his white coat.
One day I asked him why he got his CCW, and he replied:

"For the safety of my nurses, patients and me. Its a dangerous world out there".

In my state, you need the doc's permission to concealed carry in a medical facility, so I asked mine. She said she's fine with it, smiled, and said she has quite a few patients who carry. We chatted about it, and how it was safer to leave the gun holstered, than to take it out, lock it in the car, put it back on, etc.. and risk some person walking past, seeing this, and having a fit. Anyway, doc was very cool.

I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do. I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.

My doctor might ask me if I have guns or if I have live bear traps surrounding my house, but I'm not obligated to answer. If I'm at my doctor to have a giant wart at the end of my nose removed, guns have nuthin' to do with it.

Once Obamacare gets fully implimented, doctors may not have much choice in the matter.
By that time, there will be 3 boxes on 'the form'... 1) owns firearms 2) Does not own firearms 3) Will not answer.
If you think #3 will garner disinterest from the powers that be...think again.
And it would seem a bit naive to think physicians will be 'allowed' to leave those questions blank...or to check all of his/her patients as 'does not own firearms'.
There are many ways for the government 'to turn the screws' on uncooperative physicians...financial and otherwise.
Again, as the primary health-provider, the government has a 'vested-interest' in all matters 'health-related.'
Welcome to the new world.

Went to my doctor yeasterday for a sinus infection. They changed to electronic records a couple of years ago, but now they have to update to the government mandated or compatible system. The nurse brought me a handful of papers to fill out while I was waiting. My doc came in and threw away most of them. All that was left was pure medical info. No gun questions. The whole office was complaining about "Obamacare". My doc even had to give up Ipad that he used. Before he could fill out any prescription right there in the room with you. Now he has to leave and go to a desktop in another room.